Raif Badawi, a blogger in Saudi Arabia who has been
imprisoned for violating the nation's anti-cybercrime law,
was given the death penalty for apostasy by a higher court Wednesday,
his wife told CNN.
Badawi founded the Free Saudi Liberals website and was
originally given a seven-year sentence in July.
A Jeddah criminal court found Badawi, who has been in
prison since June 2012, guilty of insulting Islam through
his website and in television
comments. His lawyer appealed the sentence, which also
included 600 lashes.
A higher court found him guilty of apostasy, his wife
said.
From April: Family pleads for blogger
"It is an emotion I cannot describe. I never imagined this
would happen," she said. "I thought maybe they would
reduce the sentence but this is
unimaginable. The whole thing is about a website."
Badawi's legal troubles started shortly after he started
the Free Saudi Liberals website in 2008. He was detained
for one day and questioned
about the site. Some clerics even branded him an
unbeliever and apostate.
Human rights groups accuse Saudi authorities of
targeting activists through the courts and travel bans.
Amnesty International has said Badawi's
"is clear case of intimidation against him and others who
seek to engage in open debates about the issues that
Saudi Arabians face in their daily
lives."
CNN could not reach the Saudi Arabian government
officials for comment.
Badawi's wife, Ensaf Haidar, and the couple's three
children now live in Lebanon.
CNN
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